Berlin Welcomes 2025 with Spectacular Festivities
In Berlin, Germany, tens of thousands gathered under the iconic Brandenburg Gate to usher in the new year. An estimated 60,000 revelers celebrated on the Street of 17 June, a symbolic location stretching from the Brandenburg Gate to the Victory Column monument. The area, once a divide between East and West Berlin until the Wall fell in 1989, transformed into a festive hub for the occasion.
Everton, a visitor from Brazil, shared his New Year’s wish for unity: “We want a global world. We don’t want to have individual countries.”
London’s Fireworks Light Up the Thames
London marked the start of 2025 with a dazzling fireworks display over the River Thames as Big Ben struck midnight. London Mayor Sadiq Khan celebrated the moment on social media, declaring the city “the greatest in the world.”
Despite the severe weather warnings for parts of the UK, including Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern England, the London festivities proceeded. However, Edinburgh’s famed Hogmanay celebrations were canceled due to adverse conditions.
New Beginnings in Damascus
In Damascus, Syrians celebrated the New Year amidst fireworks at a Christmas market, waving flags and capturing moments on their phones. The celebrations took on a deeper meaning this year, as the city welcomed a new chapter in its history.
The ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024, marked the end of more than 13 years of civil war and the Assad family’s decades-long rule. Refugees have begun returning home, though the scars of war remain. The UN estimated over 300,000 civilian deaths by March 2021, with human rights groups highlighting atrocities under Assad’s regime.
As the world entered 2025, each celebration carried its unique hopes and reflections, underscoring the shared desire for unity, peace, and renewal.
